


Grotesque Seperation

by yucksoup



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: "Surgery", Amputation, Angst, Gore, Julian feels like shit., Lucio also feels like shit., M/M, Medical Procedures, Parasites, Red Plague (The Arcana), Red beetles are parasites, This just isnt a nice story.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 04:22:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20109073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yucksoup/pseuds/yucksoup
Summary: An idea that came to mind. I felt like i needed to get it written down. I feel like it would be neat to depict the red beetles as parasites of some sort, that reproduce quickly, feasting on their host in the process; thus leading to it's rapid spreading.





	Grotesque Seperation

The silence was deafening. The count that had recently fallen deathly ill and was left in an underground dungeon, strapped to a medical table. The rough leather around his ankles and wrists were fastened firmly. He was temporarily left with his own thoughts and the aching sensation pulsing through his left arm. It was swollen and covered in enflamed boils; eneath his skin often felt tingly. Dead skin was slowly starting to peel from his fingers and around the boils. Lucio's chest heaved as he anxiously glanced around his surroundings.

The stone walls were dark and the air was thick and musky, almost suffocating. It reeked of the putrid scent of decay and the sharp iron scent of blood. Several medical tools were neatly organized in a line on a table. Most were sharp and jagged. The count gulped. He found it painful to speak, reasoning his unusual silence. The patient was partially relieved to hear the distant footsteps and the unintelligible muttering. 

A tall, lanky doctor entered the room. The man ran a gloved hand stressfully through his messy auburn locks. Lucio struggled in his bindings.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on me." The count growled low in his throat, "I told you to find a cure, not torture me. You're sick."

"This is for the sake of your health, your highness. Your arm appears visibly infected, and an amputation must be performed to prevent it from spreading; I'm not sure what exactly is going on quite yet. I'm sorry, I'm trying my best." The doctor responded. He certainly wasn't enthusiastic to follow through with this.

"What?!" Lucio choked out. He struggled more and Ilya sighed, placing a gentle hand on the count's chest, "I need you to stay calm. I'll try to make this as quick as I can."

The helpless patient felt his heart pound in his chest as he thrashed violently, as painful as it was to do so. Julian's gaze was soft and dejected. The doctor thoroughly but gingerly cleaned the area with a damp cloth. 

He held down the struggling count with his elbow as he tied the cloth tightly around their upper arm. Lucio gritted his teeth, his sentences were incoherent and panicked. He was desperate for anyone to help save him from this, but nothing down here was comforting; it was a hellscape. He took a sharp intake of air feeling the cloth around his arm tighten. 

The warmth and pressure of the doctor holding him down left. Julian picked up his nearby mask. It was avian-like and it's red glass eyes were emotionless and empty. He slipped it on, his breathing was muffled. 

"Please, please, please.. don't do this please, I dont want to-" The count begged as he stared up at the masked doctor with a deep red, fearful, tormented gaze. Ilya bent over to stare at Lucio dead in the eye, his gloved hand gingerly brushing against their cheek. "Shhh.. it'll be over soon." His voice was low and muffled, frightening to Lucio. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

"Bite down on this." Julian ordered, holding another piece of cloth in front of the count's mouth. He had no choice other than to obey as it was tied around the back of his head. He bit down tightly and braced himself. He felt the piercing pain of a scalpel digging into the flesh of his upper arm as Julian worked on creating an incision. The doctor's hands were shakey due to the tension. 

Lucio sobbed as he winced. His cries were muffled due to the rag in his mouth. Those cries had turned to shrieks as Ilya dug through the decaying flesh. The doctor made a noise of surprise. His speech was muffled but panicked. He stood and stepped backward. Several tiny insect-looking organisms crawled out from beneath the sliced flesh. 

"Oh my god.. oh my god.. what the hell- what is that?!" Ilya tried keeping his balance, keeping a hand rested on the table behind him. The parasites were a dark crimson, glistening in the low light that the room lacked. The boils on the patient's arms shifted angrily, irritated. _Those aren't boils. _It had suddenly occurred to Julian that he was wrong about it being a sickness all along. He needed to perform this procedure quickly. 

The doctor frantically turned to grab a bone saw, and began to roughly grind it against the humerus inside Lucios arm. The count screamed and thrashed, thankfully the bindings held the patient down. Once Julian managed to saw through the bone, he used his scalpel once more to slice through the remaining muscle. The small insects started to dig through the dead skin, crawling about the amputated arm. Ilya was quick to simply throw it to the side. They skittered about the floor and the doctor shuddered.

Lucio sobbed uncontrollably, his makeup was smeared and his eyelids were red and puffy from crying. His chest heaved as he hiccuped. Julian used gauze to quickly wrap the wound. He'll fix it later, but now they needed to leave. He undid the patient's bindings and scooped them up. Ilya rushed out of the room, slamming the door shut. He needed to inform the countess about this. The doctor frantically carried the count down the long and empty hallway. The scent of blood was thankfully more faint here. The air wasn't sickening anymore to inhale to say the least. 

It was several minutes before he escaped the dungeon and entered the comfort of the library. Julian set the count down on the floor, dropping to his knees beside them. He pulled off his mask and carelessly tossed it to the side, panting like a worn dog.

Lucio was exhausted and visibly disheveled. He was just numb to the pain now. He stared up at the doctor blankly with a half lidded gaze. Julian rain his hands through his own hair, gripping onto it. He gritted his teeth, "God dammit- I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.." the doctor choked out. He felt the strong pang of pity in his chest for the count as well as himself. He will never forgive himself for this. Lucio's cries and screams were haunting. He's sworn he had never heard the count sound so genuinely afraid. Ilya covered his face, letting out a sob he had been holding back for several moments now. This was seemingly neverending. 

**Author's Note:**

> And they lived happily ever after, the end. Thanks for reading.


End file.
